By Yvonne T
NIAH, Feb 23: The local marble goby is a fish of many names. Betutu. Ketutu. Soon Hock. Ikan hantu. In Sarawak, it is even less kindly called ikan paloi, the foolish fish.
Yet this so-called foolish fish has built a reputation strong enough to draw diners across districts and state lines, all for a taste of its sweet, tender flesh.
A freshwater river fish, the betutu fish earns its ghostly nickname, ikan hantu, from its uncanny ability to camouflage against the riverbed. Its mottled skin blends seamlessly with sand, stone and reeds. In the still waters of Sarawak’s rivers, it moves almost invisibly, weaving quietly through shadows like an apparition.
Its other Sarawakian moniker, ikan paloi, is far less flattering. Locals joke that the fish is easily trapped, unable to recognise bait even after being caught before. It is considered simple, unsuspicious. Easy prey.
The Chinese community calls it Soon Hock, meaning bamboo shoot, a nod to the intricate patterns on its skin that resemble the layered sheaths of a young bamboo sprout.
But at Sing Chiong Restaurant in Bekenu, established in 1976, the fish is neither ghostly nor foolish. It is the star of the menu, drawing loyal customers who travel from near and far for a dish that has remained unchanged for more than four decades.
More than 40 years ago, 78-year-old Wong Sing Chiong saw opportunity where others saw little value.
Fondly known as Tutu Wong, he was among the first in the area to serve betutu as a main dish. In the early 1980s, during a year end shortage of sea fish, he noticed the river fish being sold cheaply.
“The sea fish were scarce,” he told the D’Drift team. “We saw the betutu being sold at only RM0.80 per kati, about 600 grams. Nobody wanted it because of its name.”
Cheap. Overlooked. Underrated. Sing Chiong brought it into his kitchen anyway, and learned how to cook the fish.
That decision would change the fortunes of his restaurant. Now, the fish sells at up to RM120 per kilogramme or RM72 per kati.
He recalled that decades ago, visitors from West Malaysia here travelled to taste the dish, some even transporting live fish home. Sing Chiong remembers how the hardy betutu would survive long journeys, still alive upon arrival. While it sold for a few cents locally back then, prices across the sea could soar to RM60 per kati.
Crucial to its signature taste is the freshness of the betutu fish served at Sing Chiong Restaurant.
The restaurant sources its betutu fishes directly from the rivers surrounding Bekenu rather than from ponds. The difference is evident in its texture and taste. The flesh is naturally sweet, firm yet tender, and free from the strong fishy odour often associated with freshwater species.
Over decades, Sing Chiong refined the recipe not through rigid experimentation, but through conversation.
“I’ve perfected it by listening,” he said. “Customers tell me, ‘Mr Wong, can you add this, adjust that?’ There is a formula. Every ingredient must be carefully measured.”
The sauce, aromatic and distinctive, is made in controlled batches to preserve consistency. Its flavour has remained unchanged for more than 40 years. The exact measurements are a closely guarded family secret.
Today, that secret is passed down to his son, 52-year-old Chef Wong King Min.
For King Min, taking over the kitchen was both duty and passion.
“I decided to follow my dad because I like to cook and I want to help out,” he said with a smile. “It’s nice meeting people here. We have regulars, and new faces who come because they’ve heard about this fish.”
The restaurant’s most sought after dish is its signature steamed betutu, drenched in house sauce and topped generously with fried ginger and spring onions.
On a good catch day, the fish available at the restaurant can be up to half a metre long, weighing more than two kilogrammes. The restaurant offers both fresh and frozen selections, though regulars often wait for the freshest river catch.
Steamed gently, the flesh absorbs the sauce, becoming savoury and layered with flavour. The meat lifts easily from the bone, which are few and spaced apart. Sweet and tender, each bite carries a subtle richness enhanced by the sharp crunch of fried ginger and the family’s signature sauce.
On weekends, more than 20 betutu fish can be sold.
Beyond flavour, King Min said it is believed that the fish carries restorative properties, said to aid skin healing and recovery after surgery or childbirth. Whether drawn by health beliefs or culinary curiosity, diners continue to arrive from near and far.
The restaurant is also famed for its udang galah, or the giant freshwater prawns, prepared with another of the restaurant’s signature sauce.
But it is the once ridiculed river fish that anchors the menu and keeps customers coming in droves.
“Everybody says this is paloi fish,” King Min laughed. “But it’s not. It’s delicious. There are so many good things about it.”
– DayakDaily
